Azerbaijan and Turkey Intend to Increase Military-Technical Cooperation

Baku / 25.02.20 / Turan: Azerbaijan and Turkey are together in all matters and the unity of the two countries is indestructible. This was the leitmotif of the statements of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the press in Baku on February 25 after the 8th meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between the two countries.

Erdogan stated that the solidarity of Azerbaijan and Turkey is manifested in all issues, including the fight against terrorism.

He noted that Turkey most of all in the fight against the terrorist organization FETÖ is supported by Azerbaijan.

"While terrorist events are taking place around us from all sides, Azerbaijan and Turkey are islands of stability," Erdogan further said.

“Therefore, it is important that our armies be strong. From this point of view, it is important to strengthen our defense industry,” the Turkish President added.

Touching upon the Karabakh problem, he said "the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is also our question."

“The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is our greatest desire,” he added.

Erdogan emphasized that in the Karabakh issue, Turkey is always together with Azerbaijan.

In his opinion, “the OSCE Minsk Group is not sincerely acting in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

Referring to February 26, 28th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, Erdogan called these events “one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century”.

“In Khojaly, where they killed not sparing the elderly or the women, one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century was committed,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan, noting the signing of 14 agreements in Baku today, emphasized the preferential trade agreement.

The parties also agreed to lay a railway and gas pipeline from Turkey to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

By 2023, the parties set goals to bring their trade to $ 15 billion, Erdogan said.

In turn, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan "always supports the just cause of Turkey in all matters in the international arena."

And during the current processes in the region, the Azerbaijani state and people are unequivocally with the Turkish state and people, Aliyev noted.

“Our unity is eternal. We are building our future on a solid foundation,” he added.

Touching upon military cooperation between the two countries, Aliyev noted that it was successfully continuing and only last year 13 joint exercises were held.

Azerbaijan will continue to purchase modern Turkish weapons.

“We discussed the establishment of joint production,” Aliyev added.

Touching upon the Karabakh conflict, Aliyev called Armenia’s unconstructive position an obstacle to its settlement.

The Armenian leadership makes very contradictory and mutually exclusive statements and this is a big blow to the negotiation process.

“They say Nagorno-Karabakh is Armenia, and then they say Nagorno-Karabakh is an ‘independent state.’ It turns out that they themselves do not know what Nagorno-Karabakh is. If they don’t know, then we will explain to them: Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan. We say this, and the whole world says it. The whole world recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. No country in the world recognizes an illegal entity called Nagorno-Karabakh. The solution to the problem should be within the framework of territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of the borders of our country,” Aliyev said. —06D-